


Got'chu Boo

by fineh



Category: One Day at a Time (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Mentions of Victor Alvarez, Post 1.13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 00:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13306989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fineh/pseuds/fineh
Summary: Squeezing his arm, she spares him from responding. “It’s okay, I appreciate it. Thank you.” Schneider blushing is extremely rare, he has almost no shame, so she squeezes his arm again gently. "Truly, thank you, Schneider."In which they talk.





	Got'chu Boo

**Author's Note:**

> So this was requested on Tumblr and I hope I did the prompt justice. Kind of a post quinces/quick fix up for 1.11 which kind of rubbed me the wrong way if I'm being honest. Not connected to 'Unsettled' but can probably be read that way if you want to.
> 
> Y'all see the trailer for season two yet, a lot of Lupe in Schneider's apartment. As Lydia would say, "interesting......."

* * *

“Mwaw, Mwaw,” Sleep deprived Penelope air kissed her final relative before collapsing against Schneider’s Range Rover.

“¡Adios! ¡Que les valla bien!” Prying open one eye, she looks over at Schneider, who was happily waving at her departing aunt and uncle.

“Since when do you know Spanish?” Paying her no attention, Schneider continues to wave enthusiastically until there’s no one to wave at before facing her squinty frown.

"Since I heard your mother say that same phrase a million times yesterday and today.” Motioning for her to get in Schneider walks around the car, closing the trunk before climbing in and starting the car.

Turning back to the entrance Penelope looks for one of her family members just in case they forgot something before opening the door, but it’s just hundreds of other people rushing in and around the sliding doors.

Satisfied, she opens the door to Schneider’s obnoxious smirk, “Need a boost?”

“Shut up,” A reluctant smile tugs at Penelope’s lips. It was entirely too early for this. Shutting the door, she’s thankful to be able to go home and just knock out for the weekend. Two full days of wearing pajamas and no bra. Shoving her hands in the pocket of her jacket she wiggles around a bit before finding a comfortable spot that doesn’t hurt her neck or shoulder.

“Seatbelt.” Schneider chides softly, pulling away from the curb.

Groaning Penelope complies, before resituating herself and searching for another cozy spot that isn’t totally ruined by the seat belt.

“Go to sleep Penelope, I’ll wake you up when we’re home.”

“Mhmm…" She barely hears what he said already half asleep.

“Lupe, Lupita…” Someone was repeatedly tapping her on the shoulder, “Time to wake up. Lupe.”

“Ugh…” Lupe swings blindly trying to stop the annoying person who was interrupting her much needed nap.

“You’re going to have to try harder than that to get rid of me Lupita," Foggily Lupe registers the person calling her nickname isn't her mother. Instead, it's a very amused, very annoying voice. "C'mon Pen, we're here. Time to get out."

“Why do you sound like my mom, Schneider?” Penelope asks, squinting against the sun, “And why are you standing all the way over there?”

Schneider stands several feet away, hands in pockets as he shrugs, “Just trying to minimize the violence, I already learned my lesson the last time I woke you up.”

It's Penelope's turn to be amused. Swiveling in her seat Penelope stretches, her hands grazing the roof of Schneider's giant car laughing at Schneider's weariness. She had punched him a little too hard that one New Years.

“Wow,” Penelope looks around surprised to be in the parking lot of their apartment building. “Did I really sleep all the way here?"

Seeing that Penelope is wide awake Schneider shuffles closer, stretching as well. “Yeah, it was about an hour, we hit some traffic, but it wasn’t too bad.”

“Sorry for not keeping you company.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Schneider waves her off. “You know, I told you I would take care of this. You could have stayed home Pen.”

“I was tempted, beyond tempted really, but it wouldn’t have been fair to you. You already did me a huge favor by picking everybody up, I couldn’t just pawn everything off on you.” If Schneider hadn’t volunteered she probably would have had to hire someone to pick up a million Cubans at LAX. “Besides, after you picked up the wrong Alvarez’s I had to make sure these wouldn't end up in San Francisco.”

“It was an honest mistake,” Schneider huffs, “They walked up to me and started speaking entirely way too fast. Next thing I knew I was carrying luggage and trying to act like I knew what they were saying.”

Penelope’s lips quirk, “You’ve always been a sucker haven’t you Schneider.”

“Maybe…But still, you should have stayed home. We got back really late last night.”

“You know, _you_ could have stayed home. I do have a car, it’s brand new. See?” She points across the lot where her car sits beneath a giant tree.

“I wanted to finish my duty as head of Transpo. Besides, it’s nothing.”

"You say that a lot," Penelope observes, sliding out of her seat like a five-year-old instead of the thirty-eight-year-old mother of two she was. “Keys?”

“Right here,” Pushing down the lock, Penelope shut the Range Rover’s door. Next to her Schneider clicked a button on his remote and the car chirped behind them.

“Show off,” Penelope mutters.

Leaning against the car Schneider gives a careless shrug. “So, I say what a lot?”

“That it’s nothing.” Penelope mimics his position, “You drove most of my family to and from the airport for free. You bought Carmen a plane ticket, twice I might add.” She starts counting on her fingers, “You’ve been driving Alex around for about three months now. You check up on my mom while I’m at work, you fix things around my house and every time I try to pay you or tell you to take a break you say it’s nothing.”

Schneider shifts uncomfortably, dragging his sneakers against the concrete "It is nothing-"

Holding up a hand Penelope shushes him, "I'm not done yet. You paid for Alex's suit—which was not that smart because he’s going to outgrow it in like three months—you let Victor’s ungrateful ass stay in your apartment because I fell into his trap again." Schneider opens his mouth to argue, but Penelope immediately cuts him off, “Don’t say anything, I fucked up and I can acknowledge it. You’re also driving Alex around to away games and paying for stuff. That’s right, Alex told me.” More like Alex had shown up with video games she hadn’t bought him, so she had quickly investigated, the boy had caved so fast admitting that he’d used the money Schneider had saved him to buy them.

“Penelope...” Schneider’s face has heated up now, Penelope watches him reach up to scratch his beard, a habit that he doesn’t seem to know he has, before he realizes he shaved it.

Squeezing his arm, she spares him from responding. “It’s okay, I appreciate it. Thank you.” Schneider blushing is extremely rare, he has almost no shame, so she squeezes his arm again gently. "Truly, thank you, Schneider."

Schneider turns away, but not before Penelope spots him blinking furiously. They stand together, leaning against Schneider’s car, silent under the morning LA sun, watching the palms flutter in the breeze. Eventually, he clears his throat before facing her again with his eyes a little red.

“You guys are the only family I have.”

“Oh, Schneider,” Penelope’s heart breaks. Her first instinct is to rush him upstairs, wrap him in a blanket and protect him, but she settles for a side hug. He wraps his arm loosely around her shoulders. Penelope leans in without hesitation, glad to have support and be able to support him.

“I got you, Schneider.”

“I got’chu too, boo.” Rolling her eyes, Penelope burrows deeper against him. 

"Victor's gone," Schneider says quietly, his face is pained, she knows he doesn't want to say it, but they have to talk about it. Penelope inhales sharply, unable to stop herself. Schneider holds her tighter. “He was gone by the time I got back yesterday. I don’t know how he got in, I didn’t give him a key.”

“His job is private security. I’m sure he can pick a lock.” Penelope snarks because just hearing his name is hard, let alone the fact that he's gone.

“Right,” Schneider doesn’t even blink just rolls with the punches, “I forgot.”

She’d known he was gone. When they’d arrived early this morning his rental car hadn’t been in the lot. He’d bailed. It’d stung more than she wanted to admit. For a moment she’d fooled herself into thinking things could go back to the way they were. Before…. everything. She’d been sucked back into the fantasy of the family they’d once been before all the fighting, drinking, and heartache.

Her head begins to pound, like Satan himself is up there wreaking chaos on her nerve endings. Still, it’s no excuse to be rude to Schneider, not when he’s always there to talk, or simply sit next to her, even now, standing in a sweltering parking lot because she needs to let everything out. She can’t suppress things anymore, she might have been raised Cuban but much to her mother's disappointment she’s never been the perfect Cuban anyways.

"I thought he would be able to accept Elena." She finally admits. "He never had an opinion about gay people. Being gay was a punchline to him, even when Elena came out he didn’t take her seriously because he thought she was joking.” She avoids Schneider’s gaze because it’s embarrassing, “I didn’t know he was like that, when we dated we spent more time apart then together since we were both in the army. And then I left, he re-enlisted and Elena was born. When I noticed it, I would call him out on it. I thought that if I called him out enough it would eventually sink in. I guess it didn’t. But I never thought he would react this way and just leave his daughter on one of the most important days of her life, especially after they were really beginning to bond." Elena had actively sought out her dad, eyes shining happily as he led her around the dance floor. "She was so excited to tell him.” She lets out a strong puff of air, at the thought of her beautiful girl. “So excited.”

Schneider says nothing and continues to hold her. “And then I think about how I reacted, I freaked out.” Penelope’s on the verge of tears, her voice trembling as the telltale prickle begins to form behind her eyes. “You know, you were there. I keep thinking, what if I’m not so different from Victor.” Stepping away from Schneider she begins pacing. “I kept looking for someone to validate the way I was feeling, I made Elena being gay about me, not her. God, that was so shitty.”

“Hey,” Schneider grabs her, his hands on her shoulders are a welcome, as he steadies her. “You’re allowed to react. You did. It might not have been the best reaction, but never once did Elena doubt that her family loved her. That you loved her.” His words are firm as he leans down, his eyes actively seeking hers until she stops looking away. “You didn’t sneak out and leave her stranded in front of her family and friends, crying. You told her you loved her, and it made her confident enough to tell your mom. Everyone that matters has treated her well. Not many kids can say that. Hell, not many adults can say that.”

But…”

“Don’t make me bust out facts and figures about internalized misogyny and heteronormativity, Pen, because I will.”

“Elena?”

“Carmen, actually.” Schneider informs her fondly, “Our rides to and from the airport have been very enlightening.”

“You said something stupid and she called you out on it huh?”

“Pretty much.” Schneider chuckles, stepping back shoving his hands into his back pockets. “We’ve stayed connected through Facebook and I call her every now and then to check up on her." No doubt he probably sent her money too. It’s the kind of person Schneider is.

“Plus, your mom used me as a defacto dance partner, so we formed a bond through there too.”

Penelope closes her eyes and leans back, “Yeah I remember my quinces, it was brutal.”

“I know, I saw the pictures.”

Penelope smacks him in the stomach, not hard but enough to make her point. “As I was saying. It was the worst. The dress, the dancing, the hair. I was so glad when it was over.”

“I’m glad this one is over too. For your sake. You’re a great mom Penelope, don’t ever doubt that.” Stepping closer he wipes away a couple of stray tears before pulling her into a final hug.

"Thanks, Schneider." She doesn't have to specify. He knows.

“I got’chu, boo. I got’chu.”

Penelope hugs him tighter, “I got you too.”

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [tumblr](http://finehs.tumblr.com)


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